Household appliance

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to methods of forming and/or using a household appliance that includes a cabinet where items are disposed, a door mounted onto the cabinet, a glass panel having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a sheet-shaped mounting member. The mounting member extends between the inner surface of the glass panel and the outer panel of the door, thereby allowing the glass panel to be mounted onto the door and enabling a user to use it as a handle.

The present invention relates to a household appliance comprising a door whereon a decorative panel is mounted.

Nowadays, household appliances, especially doors of refrigerators are covered with decorative panels such as glass and mirror in order to acquire an aesthetic appearance. However, by mounting a single-sheet-shaped glass panel onto the door, various problems are confronted due to reasons such as its weight and the sensitivity in its processing.

In the state of the art International Patent Application No WO2006120072, the decorative plate is fixed to the side wall of the door by means of a mounting member.

Another state of the art embodiment is explained in the United States Patent Application No US20070188059. Also in this document, the decorative panel is fixed onto the door of the household appliance by means of a mounting member.

One of the biggest problems confronted when a glass panel is desired to be fixed to the door of household appliances is the mounting of a handle held by the user onto the glass panel. However, for this process, the handle is required to be fixed onto the glass panel by means of fixing elements. This process causes both the fragile material such as glass to be damaged and labor costs to increase.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a household appliance wherein the glass panel can be easily assembled onto the door.

The household appliance realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a mounting member having a U-shaped recess which is located between the door and the glass panel, which is fixed to the door from one edge by being bent and to the other edge of which the inner surface of the glass panel is adhered, and both providing the assemble of the glass panel onto the door and serving as a handle.

By means of the mounting member, the glass panel can be easily assembled onto the door. Since the mounting member serving as a handle remains between the glass panel and the door, a handle is not obliged to be mounted onto the glass panel. Thus, a flat sheet appearance is provided on the outside of the household appliance.

The recess on the sheet-shaped mounting member is provided by the open end of the mounting member being bent in U-shape such that it will face outside. In this embodiment, the width of the recess is sized such that a hand can fit in and grip it. Thus, the user can easily open and close the door by putting his/her hand into the recess.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting member is fixed to the side edge of the door such that it will cover the side edge of the door.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance comprises at least one housing, which extends along the door and wherein the recess is seated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting member has a knurled structure preventing the hand from slipping on the inner surfaces of the recess.

By means of the present invention, the mounting member both enables the glass panel to be assembled onto the door and serves as a handle. Furthermore, by means of the present invention, the external appearance of the household appliance gives the impression that it is covered with a single glass panel.

A household appliance realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

FIG. 1—is the perspective view of a refrigerator.

FIG. 2—is the sideways view of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3—is the exploded view of the door, glass panel and mounting member.

FIG. 4—is the view of the refrigerator before the mounting of the glass panel and mounting member to the door.

FIG. 5—is the exploded view of the glass panel and mounting member.

FIG. 6—is the front perspective view of the glass panel and mounting member.

FIG. 7—is the view of cross-section A-A in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8—is the rear perspective view of the glass panel and mounting member.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

-   1. Household appliance -   2. Door -   3. Upper edge -   4. Lower edge -   5. Side edge -   6. Inner panel -   7. Outer panel -   8. Glass panel -   9. Inner surface -   10. Outer surface -   11. Mounting member -   12. Recess -   13. Extension -   14. Housing -   15. Cabinet

The household appliance (1) of the present invention comprises at least one cabinet (15) wherein items are disposed, a door (2) mounted onto the cabinet (15) and providing access into the cabinet (15), comprising an upper edge (3), a lower edge (4), opposite side edges (5), an inner panel (6) and an outer panel (7), a glass panel (8) having an inner surface (9) and an outer surface (10), and a mounting member (11) which extends between the inner surface (9) and the outer panel (7) and whereon the glass panel (8) is mounted (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). The outer surface (10) of the glass panel (8) can be transparent or semi-transparent glass as well as a decorative surface such as mirror.

The mounting member (11) comprises a recess (12) which extends almost along the door (2), which is disposed between the door (2) and the glass panel (8) and has a U-shape, which is fixed to the door (2) from one edge and to the other edge of which the inner surface (9) of the glass panel (8) is adhered, which enables the user to use it as a handle by putting his/her hand therein (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4). The mounting member (11) both provides the glass panel (8) to be mounted onto the door (2) and serves as a handle. The width of the recess (12) is sized such that a hand can easily grip it.

Since the mounting member (11) remains between the glass panel (8) and the door (2), any protrusion that can serve as a handle on the outer surface (10) of the glass panel (8) is not required. This facilitates the transport of the household appliance (1) as well as eliminating the design constraints on the outer surface (10) of the glass panel (8). Besides, also no process is performed on the outer surface (10) of the glass panel (8) that is produced of a fragile material such as glass. This both minimizes the probability of the outer surface (10) of the glass panel (8) being damaged by mechanical effects such as being pierced and scratched, and provides a saving of time while facilitating the labor of assembling the glass panel (8) onto the door (2). Furthermore, the household appliance (1) acquires an aesthetic appearance.

The sheet-shaped mounting member (11) is bent such that it will form a “U”-shaped recess (12) between its edges fixed to the door (2) and glass panel (8) with a width that enables a hand to fit between the door (2) and the glass panel (8) and such that the open end of the mounting member (11) will face outside.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting member (11) is fixed to the side edges (5) of the door (2) such that it will entirely cover the side edge (5). In this embodiment, the mounting member (11) comprises an extension (13) extending along the side edge (5) of the door (2), fixed to the side edge (5), and a recess (12), one edge of which bears against the outer panel (7) by the extension (13) bending onto the outer panel (7) of the door (2), the other edge of which bears against the inner surface (9) of the glass panel (8). The extension (13) is connected to the edge of the recess (12) that bears against the door (2).

In this embodiment of the present invention, the mounting member (11) is adhered to the inner surface (9) of the glass panel (8) from one edge (FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8). Then, when the other edge of the recess (12) bears against the outer surface (10) of the door (2), the mounting member (11) is fixed to the side edge (5) of the door (2) through the extension (13) by means of fixing elements. In this situation, the assembly of the glass panel (8) onto the door (2) is completed. The user can easily open and close the door (2) when the user puts his/her hand into the recess (12).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the edge of the mounting member (11), whereon the glass panel (8) is fixed, and the outer panel (7) are aligned almost at the same level. In this embodiment, the household appliance (1) comprises at least one housing (14) which is located on the door (2), which extends almost along the door (2) and wherein the mounting member (11) is seated. Thus, almost no space is left between the glass panel (8) and the outer panel (7).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting member (11) has a knurled structure preventing the hand from slipping on the inner surfaces of the recess (12).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the said household appliance (1) is a refrigerator.

By means of the present invention, the mounting member (11) both enables the glass panel (8) to be assembled onto the door (2) and serves as a handle. Furthermore, by means of the present invention, the external appearance of the household appliance (1) gives the impression that it is covered with a single glass panel (8).

It is to be understood that the said present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed above and an expert in the technique can easily introduce different embodiments. These different embodiments should be considered within the scope of the claims of the present invention. 

1.-5. (canceled)
 6. A method comprising: obtaining, an apparatus comprising a cabinet (15), and a door (2) mounted onto the cabinet (15) and providing access into the cabinet (15), the door (2) comprising an upper edge (3), a lower edge (4), opposite side edges (5), an inner panel (6) and an outer panel (7); obtaining, a glass panel (8) having an inner surface (9) and a decorative outer surface (10), and obtaining, a mounting member (11), the mounting member (11) comprising a first edge and a second edge, and a U-shaped recess (12) between the first edge and the second edge; affixing a first portion of the mounting member (11) including a first edge of the mounting member (11) to the inner surface (9) of the glass panel (8); affixing a second portion of the mounting member (11) including a second edge of the mounting member (11) to the outer panel (7) of the door (2), thereby forming a household appliance (1), wherein the mounting member (11) extends along a side edge (5) of the door (2) and is disposed between the door (2) and the glass panel (8) in the household appliance (1), and wherein the U-shaped recess forms a handle for the household appliance (1); placing a hand in the U-shaped recess of the mounting member (12); and opening the door (2) of the household appliance (1) while the hand is in the U-shaped recess.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: closing the door (2) while the hand is in the U-shaped recess of the mounting member (12).
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the household appliance (1) has at least one housing (14) which is located on the door (2), which extends almost along the door (2) and wherein the mounting member (11) is seated.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the mounting member (11) has a knurled structure.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein the household appliance (1) is a refrigerator.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the household appliance (1) has at least one housing (14) which is located on the door (2), which extends almost along the door (2) and wherein the mounting member (11) is seated.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mounting member (11) has a knurled structure.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the mounting member is a first mounting member and the method further comprises: obtaining, a second mounting member (11), the second mounting member (11) comprising a first edge and a second edge, and a U-shaped recess (12) between the first edge and the second edge of the second mounting member (11); affixing a first portion of the second mounting member (11) including a first edge of the mounting member (11) to the inner surface (9) of the glass panel (8); and (11) affixing a second portion of the second mounting member (11) including a second edge of the second mounting member (11) to the outer panel (7) of the door (2), wherein the first mounting member and the second mounting member are at opposite sides of the door (2) and the glass panel (8). 